Petit Jean Basketball Classic-Part 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Monday, The 14th Annual Petit Jean Basketball Classic<strong> </strong>began in Morrilton. Eight high schools are participating in the championship that will be decided on Saturday, December 10, 2022. Some teams have already been eliminated from the championship, but no fault to the individual performers in those early rounds of the showcase. The following is a list of the eliminated teams, and in my view, their top performers in the early-round games:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='435887' first='Macy' last='Willis'] SG Valley Springs H.S. 2025-</strong>Macy, pictured above, loves to drive to the basket. When she puts it on the floor it's usually to attack the rim. She stays low and when the double team comes she will dish off to a teammate. Macy is unselfish, but if there is an opening in the defense, she takes it. This sophomore has a very high ceiling.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Adilyn Cummins 5'9" SG Clarksville H.S. 2024-</strong>This junior like's to play facing the basket. She's deadly at that 10-15 ft range. She'll hit an occasional trey but her strength is in and around the lane. Adilyns size allows her to post up smaller opponents. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ivorionna Johnson 5'6" SG Bentonville West H.S. 2023-</strong>All Ivorionna does is just hustle. She goes 100 mph on every play. She is strong enough to guard a big and quick enough to go one-on-one with a point guard. She is more of a utility player and can score as well. No one attacks the rim any harder than Ivorionna. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Savannah Ketchum 5'10" F Valley Springs H.S. 2024-</strong>Savannah displays excellent footwork in the paint. She works very hard to post up and attack the rim. She gets to the foul line often and more times than not converts the and-one. She and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='435887' first='Macy' last='Willis']</strong> lead this very young and talented Tiger squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='304741' first='Allie' last='Pollock'] F Lakeside H.S. Hot Springs 2023-</strong>Allie, an Arkansas Tech signee, Is a space-eater. She utilizes her size to create havoc inside. When the defense allows, she can also knock down the trey. That draws a big out of the lane and opens up the offense for her teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='403855' first='Amelia' last='Rogers'] SG Lakeside H.S. Hot Springs 2024-</strong>Amelia has a high basketball IQ. She plays downhill. Very unselfish, sometimes as a coach you'd like her to shoot more. She has excellent footwork and is very quick and can rebound on both ends of the floor. Amelia is the floor leader for the Rams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Macy Weathers 5'9" SG Clarksville H.S 2024-</strong>Macy is a high-energy player. She's always working to get open. Her strength on offense is driving to the basket. She can hit the three, but would rather drive the lane for a high-percentage shot or draw a foul. Her strength on defense is her in-your-face intensity. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Maysa Willis 5'9" SG Bentonville West H.S. 2023-</strong>Leading the Wolverines is Maysa's strength. She is the floor general and usually plays the point guard position, but can slide over to the wing and be productive. Not the cheerleader type, but leads more by example, she can score from anywhere on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next up, in part 2, the teams and players that advanced to the semi-final round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bobby Brown</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->